Letter to the editor: Making the fight against cancer a top state priority

Published 2:04 pm, Sunday, March 8, 2015

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Tarkington resident Hannah Taylor is pushing for state legislators to make cancer a top state priority. She is pictured with State Rep. John Otto during a recent visit.

Tarkington resident Hannah Taylor is pushing for state legislators to make cancer a top state priority. She is pictured with State Rep. John Otto during a recent visit.

Photo: Submitted

Letter to the editor: Making the fight against cancer a top state priority

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Dear editor,

In Texas, nearly 116,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Unfortunately, an estimated 38,000 will lose their battle with the disease this year alone. We can do something about that; we can bring that number down.

Last week, I traveled to Austin to represent cancer patients and survivors from Liberty County to call on our Texas Legislators to make cancer a top priority. I joined 150 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers and staff from across the state to ask our lawmakers to support cancer research funding, access to palliative care and tobacco prevention and cessation programs if we want to reduce the burden of cancer on our state, our communities and our friends.

I met Representative John Otto and sat down and discussed the legislative measures with his Staff Member Ryan Ambrose, and made it clear that the Texas legislature needs to do all it can to fight back against cancer.

We let our lawmakers know that volunteers across the state are counting on them to take a stand against cancer by supporting what works to prevent cancer diagnoses. It’s time to finish the fight against the devastating disease.

As a cancer volunteer, I’ve seen the devastating toll this disease can take on a person. I’ve watched it affect my family, friends and loved ones. My grandfather passed away from cancer 20 years ago and I fight so that other little girls do not have to suffer the same fate.